


Publicity

by Starrie_Wolf



Series: City of Ruins [2]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen, Runed!verse, The fandom for this fic is not TMI it is Runed but I can't put that under the fandom tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-21 01:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2449502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrie_Wolf/pseuds/Starrie_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec accidentally outs himself (pun intended) during a fight.</p><p>Set around City of Glass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Publicity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Siavahda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siavahda/gifts).
  * Inspired by [City of Shadows](https://archiveofourown.org/works/585318) by [Siavahda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siavahda/pseuds/Siavahda). 



> Written from 2am-5am (please note the publication date) on a whim of inspiration after a barrage of emails/PMs discussing Alec's characterisation in TMI vs Runed with Siavahda.
> 
> Now posted online as per her request because someone had the audacity to comment that CoS is not a fic meant for Alec fans. Clearly you need to get your eyes checked. Should not be taken as 100% canon-compliant; however, anyone who has read CoS properly would be able to pick up hints of Alec's characterisation in the background.

He saw the demons converging on the warlock, saw them reach out to drag him under, saw Isabelle and Jace, both fighting against the tide of the battle to reach him. Both too far away.

They’ll never make it in time.

An arrow slid out of his quiver.

_Can’t._

He notched it to his bow.

The world slid into focus, sharp and brittle.

_HIM!_

The next arrow had clicked into place beside his ear before the first even reached its intended destination. Ice was racing through his veins, freezing his arm into position with nary a conscious thought nor shudder. A third speared the closest demon to Magnus through the roof of its mouth, and it fell, jaws still dripping venom.

Targets: thirty-four.

The other demons drew back at the splatters of ichor, staring uncomprehendingly at the corpses in their midst.

Objective: eliminate.

Two this time, one clenched between each pair of digits. His fingers splayed slightly, adjusted themselves, and the arrows tore into demons on either side of Isabelle, who was watching him, mouth agape.

Fifteen. Sixteen.

The remaining demons were turning their attention to him, were realising that the one they all had dismissed as insignificant, the one holding thin flimsy wooden sticks instead of flashing crystal blades, was in fact the most dangerous of them all.

Alec smiled, grim and cold.

Let them come.

For hurting _Magnus_ –

Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight.

The bowstring sang a deadly song as arrows showered upon the demons like guided missiles. One took a Croucher demon through the throat, mid-leap. One sliced through the tail of a Scorpios demon, neatly severing its stinger, before burying itself in the eyes of the Ravener demon behind it.

– they would payin _blood_.

Thirty-three.

His  _parabatai_  rune flared at the same time his instincts  _screamed_.

Behind!

His thumb slid over the inner recess of the riser and pressed down. With a soft _snick_  the clasp came undone and the hidden seraph blade – his first, still yet unblooded, but never far from his person – slid into his waiting hand as if it had always belonged there and Alec whirled around in a fluid extension of the same motion –

"Azrael!"

The teleporter – a Thammuz demon, his mind supplied – lunged, all sixteen blood-red talons unsheathed. Alec glided to the side, tilting his torso backwards a fraction to avoid the longest of the claws, so close he felt a breath of air brush past his arm. The Thammuz laughed, shrill and creepy, promising blood and death, death, death. Azrael flashed once, twice, the chokutō blade meeting demon claws each time, drawing it into a deadly dance.

And with his other hand he brought the bow crashing upon its head. It reared back, screaming – and Azrael bit home and ripped out right through the other side with a spray of ichor.

Thirty-four.

Only did then he realise the clade was utterly silent. Alec lowered his weapons slowly, heart pounding.

"Alec! Are you all right?" Maryse was hurrying up to him, pride warring with concern in her voice. Alec ignored her, eyes sweeping the mass of bodies in the clearing.

"He's fine," Jace's voice came over their  _parabatai_  bond, as though sensing his thoughts. "Nothing he couldn't fix, thanks to you."

The mockery of a smile flitted briefly across his face.

More Shadowhunters were coming up the hill, talking loudly. He caught snatches of conversation – “do the Lightwood name proud” – “five minutes” – and the omnipresent whispers “his  _first_  kill?”

“I'm sorry.”

Alec didn't look up. “What for?”

Magnus put a hand on his shoulder, the closest he could get to Alec in public. Alec stiffened anyway at the touch, but he didn't move to push the warlock off.

“For ruining your perfect record, of course.” Magnus sighed.

“What?” Maryse asked, disbelief colouring her tone. “What are you talking about?”

“It's okay,” interrupted Alec, not looking at any of them. “It's not important.”

“It is most certainly  _not_  okay,” declared Isabelle - and when had his sister come up beside him? She turned to the other adults, who were watching Alec with wary eyes. “If you don’t tell them,  _I_  will.”

“Isabelle,” and his voice was too sharp, too unlike the Alec they were used to, but he couldn’t find the energy to care.

“All of you,” his sister snarled as though he had not even spoken, “you think Alec’s worthless, because he’s never made a single kill. Because he chooses to wield a bow instead of a blade.” The force of her glare caused one or two to flinch. “All of you _athumos_.” She huffed, and Alec tensed. That sound – Isabelle was ready to explode.

Jace stepped up smoothly. “He hasn’t killed because he’s leaving them for us.” A pause, a pointed look Alec could feel even though he wasn’t looking at Jace – wasn’t looking anywhere higher than the ground – “He leaves _all_ his prey barely alive so that we can get all the money and glory from the kills.”

“Have none of you actually wondered how I bonded to Hofniel?” snapped Isabelle. “Have you never wondered how a slip of a girl, barely ten, having no muscles and no experience to speak of, brought down a jikininki demon thrice her height on her first ever hunt?”

Alec jerked.

“Because,” declared Isabelle triumphantly, shamefully, “all I had to do was slit its throat. It was already on the ground, unconscious, both claws severed at the wrist and blood streaming from empty eye sockets. And all these – all these were done in the space of the six seconds it took me to reach the demon.”

“He keeps us _safe_ ,” Jace stressed.

Silence fell again, stunned, perturbed.

Maryse finally broke the silence, wringing her hands together. “We should – we should get back to the Penhallows’,” she suggested hesitantly.

"No," said Alec, finally – finally raising his head and staring right at Magnus. "I want to go home."

**Author's Note:**

> Demons selected from Shadowhunter wiki. Azrael named for Archangel of death (like Merchant of Death, haha). I wanted a gladius for the blade at first but chokutou fits the fact that he wields an Asian dao (in Runed) better.
> 
> [I have a Tumblr if you're interested!](starriewolf.tumblr.com)


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